Dear Weatherman –  Thank You for the Christmas Snow!  It was beautiful.

Dear Team Wilhelm – You guys are GREAT! Truly an outstanding group of guys. I’m so awed at your generosity in donating vacation time for our newest young engineer.  Everyone pitched in a few hours, making it possible for Obi to stay home and recover from his emergency achilles-tendon-reattachment-surgery.   You do know that you will all have to take turns carrying him up the stairs every day when he comes back to work next week, right?

Dear Mr. Mahmoud – Oh yum. Lunch today was utterly fantastic, as it always is at your King Tut Restaurant.  Mr. Mahmoud, if I begged, and offered to wash dishes for a month, would you teach me how to make your Vegetable Shawarma?  And the tahini sauce?  And the falafel salad?

Dear Pea Family – You are forgiven for the Great  December Bamboozlement.  My heart has been captured and She can stay.

Dear David – I will miss you, my friend.  My heart is heavy with grief over your death and overflowing with gratitude to our loving God that your demons are put to rest and that your suffering has ended.

::faithful

praying for

• Advent peace
• Fortitude for DirtBike, heading into mid-terms, that he not become overwhelmed and frustrated

grateful for

• a new coffee pot that works, doesn’t leak out the back and doesn’t need a firm whack to make it turn on and off
• a wonderful health care plan that includes fitness classes at work, during lunch hour.

bike mileage is scheduled this week, along with some urban hiking, yoga and a core strengthening class.  The classes are at work during lunch hours.

::creative

Knitting!  Mending!  Addressing Christmas Cards!

::delicious

• Carne Guisado – Mexican Beef Stew
• Orange Chicken with Rice and Broccoli
• Baked Potato Soup
• Blackened Tilapia and Peas
• Cajun Shrimp with Dirty Rice
• Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches with Basil Tomato Soup
• Leftovers – Clear the Fridge Night!

::fun

This coming Saturday is our annual hosting of our kids’ German Club Christmas Party.  It is always such a fun, fun event.  There are usually 50 to 60 teens here; we light a bonfire in the lower field, set a fire in the bowl on the deck, turn the music up really loud and everyone just hangs out. The school club provides most of the food and drinks, and we toss in adult refreshments for the parents who decide to hang out here instead of driving back into town.  We’ve been hosting since Cherry Ames was in school, and plan to continue until the boys are graduated.

::pondering

Centering Christ

::looking ahead

Mid-terms and finals, wrapping up a huge water system study at work, Christmas shopping, silliness at work.  Like this:

Linking up at Suscipio – come join us!